Dynamic audio optimization

• US 10,111,002 B1
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Poulad, Navid
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): McKinney, Angelica M
• Application Number:
  US13/566,397
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: 381303
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

An environment detection node supports dynamic audio optimization by receiving data from sensors and analyzing the received data to detect objects such as furniture and/or humans within an environment. Based on locations within the environment of the detected objects, the environment detection node determines an optimized target location and adjusts audio output to be optimized when heard at the target location.

Claims

1. An audio optimization system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more sensors communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing one or more computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to;

receive data from the one or more sensors;

analyze the data to determine objects within an environment, the environment including a plurality of speakers that output audio;

detect audio characteristics of the audio being output;

determine locations based on the data, wherein each location is associated with a corresponding object of the objects;

identify, based on the objects, a first human and a second human, the first human being at a first location and the second human being at a second location;

select a new location based on the first location and the second location, wherein the new location is between the first location and the second location;

determine, from the data, user authentication information associated with at least one of the first human or the second human, the user authentication information comprising at least one of a pattern tapped onto a surface of the environment or user interaction with a reference object;

determine, based on at least one of the audio characteristics or the user authentication, that the first human or the second human is likely to have a higher interest in the audio; and

adjust audio output from a plurality of speakers to optimize the audio at the new location by instructing a first speaker of the plurality of speakers to output the audio at a first volume level and instructing a second speaker of the plurality of speakers to output the audio at a second volume level that is different than the first volume level such that a first detected volume level of the audio received from the first speaker at the new location is substantially equal to a second detected volume level of the audio received from the second speaker at the new location.

2. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the objects include furniture.

3. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to determine an identity of at least one of the first human or the second human by comparing one or more determined characteristics to characteristics of one or more known humans.

4. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to determine an identity of at least one of the first human or the second human based at least in part on the authentication information.

5. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the one or more sensors detect an authentication action performed by the at least one of the first human or the second human; and

the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to receive the authentication information from the one or more sensors, wherein the authentication information represents the authentication action.

6. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of speakers are associated with a home theater system separate from the audio optimization system.

7. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to adjust audio settings based at least in part on an audio profile associated with at least one of the first human or the second human.

8. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to further adjust the audio by:

adjusting, for each speaker independently, at least one of a bass level, a treble level, a reverb level, or a delay;

or

causing a motor associated with a speaker of the plurality of speakers to adjust a physical position of the speaker.

9. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the new location is a location of a particular object within the environment.

10. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to adjust the audio from the plurality of speakers to optimize the audio at the new location based at least in part on the audio characteristics.

11. The audio optimization system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to cause a motor associated with the first speaker to move the first speaker from a first physical location within the environment to a second physical location within the environment to optimize the audio at the new location.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, from one or more sensors, data captured by the one or more sensors from an environment, the environment including at least a first speaker at a first physical location within the environment, a second speaker outputting audio, and a plurality of inanimate objects;

determining at least one audio characteristic of the audio being output;

based at least in part on the data, determining a plurality of locations, wherein individual locations of the plurality of locations are associated with an inanimate object of the plurality of inanimate objects;

based at least in part on the plurality locations, determining a target location within the environment;

determining a second physical location within the environment from which to output audio to optimize audio output at the target location;

based at least in part on the data, determining user authentication information associated with at least one of a first human or a second human within the environment, the user authentication information comprising at least one of a pattern tapped onto a surface of the environment or user interaction with a reference object;

determining, based at least in part on at least one of the at least one audio characteristic or the user authentication information, that the first human or the second human is likely to have a higher interest in the audio;

causing a motor associated with the first speaker to move the first speaker from the first physical location to the second physical location; and

substantially equalizing a first detected volume level of the audio at the target location from the first speaker with a second detected volume level of the audio at the target location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a first modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a second modified volume level that is different than the first modified volume level.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of inanimate objects include furniture.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

based at least in part on the data, determining that one or more humans reside within the environment, each of the one or more humans being associated with a location within the environment; and

based at least in part on the locations associated with the one or more humans, modifying the target location to determine a modified target location.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

substantially equalizing a third detected volume level of the audio at the modified target location from the first speaker with a fourth detected volume level of the audio at the modified target location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a third modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a fourth modified volume level that is different than the third modified volume level.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

based at least in part on the data, determining that a plurality of humans reside within the environment, each of the plurality of humans associated with a location within the environment;

based at least in part on the locations associated with the one or more humans, modifying the target location to determine a modified target location; and

substantially equalizing a third detected volume level of the audio at the modified target location from the first speaker with a fourth detected volume level of the audio at the modified target location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a third modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a fourth modified volume level that is different than the third modified volume level.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the at least one characteristic of the audio output comprises a media content title, a media content genre, or a target age range.

18. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

based at least in part on the data, determining an identity of the first human;

determining an audio profile associated with the identity of the first human; and

based at least in part on the audio profile, adjusting the audio.

19. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

based at least in part on the user authentication information, determining an identity of the first human;

determining an audio profile associated with the identity of the first human; and

based at least in part on the audio profile, adjusting the audio.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the user authentication information comprises at least one of a physical gesture or a voice input.

21. A method comprising:

receiving, from one or more sensors, data captured by the one or more sensors from an environment, the environment including at least a first speaker and a second speaker outputting audio;

based at least in part on the data, determining that a first human and a second human reside within the environment, the first human having a first location within the environment and the second human having a second location within the environment;

determining that the first location is more frequently occupied than the second location;

based at least in part on determining that the first location is more frequently occupied than the second location, substantially equalizing a first detected volume level of the audio at the first location from the first speaker with a second detected volume level of the audio at the first location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a first modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a second modified volume level that is different than the first modified volume level;

based at least in part on the data, determining that at least one of the first human or the second human is changing location within the environment to a new location; and

substantially equalizing a third detected volume level of the audio at the new location from the first speaker with a fourth detected volume level of the audio at the new location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a third modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a fourth modified volume level that is different than the third modified volume level.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

based at least in part on the data, determining an identity of the first human within the environment;

determining an audio profile associated with the identity of the first human; and

based at least in part on the audio profile, adjusting the audio.

23. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

identifying user authentication information from the data captured by the one or more sensors;

based at least in part on the user authentication information, determining an identity of the first human within the environment;

determining an audio profile associated with the identity of the first human; and

based at least in part on the audio profile, adjusting the audio.

24. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

receiving additional data indicating conditions within the environment that have changed;

at least partly in response to receiving the additional data;

modifying the new location to create a modified location; and

adjusting the audio output by the first speaker and the second speaker based at least in part on the modified location.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the additional data indicates that at least one of the first location of the first human has changed or that the second location of the second human has changed.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein substantially equalizing the third detected volume level of the audio at the new location from the first speaker with the fourth detected volume level of the audio at the new location from the second speaker further comprises causing the first speaker to cease outputting the audio.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising causing a third speaker to initiate output of the audio at a fifth volume level based at least in part on the new location within the environment.

28. A method comprising:

receiving, from one or more sensors, data captured by the one or more sensors from an environment, the environment including at least a first speaker and a second speaker outputting audio;

based at least in part on the data, detecting a plurality humans within the environment, individual humans of the plurality of humans having an associated location within the environment;

based at least in part on the data, determining user authentication information associated with at least one human of the plurality of humans within the environment, the user authentication information comprising at least one of a pattern tapped onto a surface of the environment or user interaction with a reference object;

identifying audio characteristics of the audio being output;

based at least in part on the audio characteristics or the user authentication information, determining a set of humans of the plurality of humans that are likely to have a higher interest in the audio;

based at least on locations associated with the set of humans, determining an optimized target location within the environment; and

substantially equalizing a first detected volume level of the audio at the optimized target location from the first speaker with a second detected volume level of the audio at the optimized target location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a first modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a second modified volume level that is different than the first modified volume level.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein:

the audio characteristics include a target age group associated with the audio; and

the detecting comprises, for individual humans of the plurality of humans, determining an approximate age of the human.

30. The method as recited in claim 28, further comprising:

determining an audio profile associated with the at least one human; and

based at least in part on the audio profile, further adjusting the audio.

31. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein substantially equalizing the first detected volume of the audio at the target location from the first speaker with the second detected volume of the audio at the target location from the second speaker further comprises causing a motor associated with the first speaker to move the first speaker from a first physical location within the environment to a second physical location within the environment.

32. A method comprising:

receiving, from one or more sensors, data captured by the one or more sensors from an environment, the data including user authentication information and the environment including at least a first speaker and a second speaker outputting audio, the user authentication information comprising at least one of a pattern tapped onto a surface or user interaction with a reference object;

based at least in part on the data, determining that a human is present within the environment;

based at least in part on the user authentication information, determining an identity of the human;

determining an audio profile associated with the identity of the human;

based at least on the audio profile and at least one audio characteristic of the environment, adjusting at least one audio characteristic of audio that is being output, wherein the at least one audio characteristic includes at least one of an echo level, a reverb level, a sound-absorbing level, or a background noise level;

based at least in part on the data, determining a location of the human within the environment;

substantially equalizing a first detected volume level of the audio at the location from the first speaker with a second detected volume level of the audio at the location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a first modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a second modified volume level that is different than the first modified volume level;

determining that the human is changing or has changed location within the environment from the location to a new location; and

substantially equalizing a third detected volume level of the audio at the new location from the first speaker with a fourth detected volume level of the audio at the new location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a third modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a fourth modified volume level that is different than the third modified volume level.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein determining the identity of the human comprises:

determining one or more characteristics of the human based at least in part on the data; and

comparing the one or more characteristics to characteristics of known humans.

34. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein the human is one of a plurality of humans within the environment, the method further comprising:

based at least in part on the data, determining a plurality of locations, wherein each location is associated with a different human of the plurality of humans within the environment;

determining a modified target location based at least in part on the plurality of locations; and

further adjusting the audio to optimize the audio at the modified target location.

35. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein determining the modified target location comprises selecting an average location based on the plurality of locations.

36. A method comprising:

receiving, from one or more sensors, data captured by the one or more sensors from an environment, the environment including at least a first speaker and a second speaker outputting audio;

based at least in part on the data, detecting audio characteristics of the environment, wherein the audio characteristics of the environment include at least one of an echo level, a reverb level, a sound-absorbing level, or a background noise level;

based at least in part on the data, determining user authentication information associated with at least one of a first human or a second human within the environment, the user authentication information comprising at least one of a pattern tapped onto a surface of the environment or user interaction with a reference object, the first human having a first location within the environment and the second human having a second location within the environment;

determining that the first location is more frequently occupied than the second location;

based at least in part on the audio characteristics or the user authentication information, adjusting the audio output from the first speaker and the second speaker;

determining that at least one of the first human or the second human is changing or has changed location within the environment to a target location; and

based at least in part on at least one of the first location being occupied more frequently than the second location or that the at least one of the first human or the second human is changing or has changed location, substantially equalizing a first detected volume level of the audio at the target location from the first speaker with a second detected volume level of the audio at the target location from the second speaker by instructing the first speaker to output the audio at a first modified volume level and instructing the second speaker to output the audio at a modified second volume level that is different than the first modified volume level.

37. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein the data indicates a surface type of a wall, ceiling, or floor within the environment.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein determining the target location within the environment comprises:

analyzing the data to identify a first object at the first location in the environment and a second object at the second location in the environment; and

selecting an average location in the environment based on the first location and the second location.